Moved

I say,

This blog has moved to my new place.

MM III

Pitch inspections

I say!

Some more pitch inspection snaps below.

The first one shows the wonderful new Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, which will be ready for the World Cup in a couple of weeks time. What a wonderful venue! Of course, I am not able to show the more detailed snaps of the actual pitch, or report hereabouts upon it. That might give an unfair advantage to some of the protagonists.

Below are three views of the Stanford Cricket Ground, situated near to the airport, to the north of Antigua.

And finally, one of the Sticky Wicket, where they serve a delicious luncheon, ad know exactly how to pour a proper G&T.

MM III

Where's Mrs M?

I say!

Here's another "Where's Mrs M?" quiz, which is a bit like Where's Wally, or Where's Waldorf, except that you have to find Mrs M.


Answers in a Comment, please.

The snap above was taken at Shirley Heights, which is the name of a hill to the east of English Harbour, on the south coast of Antigua. Each Sunday evening, partygoers gather on the heights to enjoy a sundowner or five, and are entertained by a superb Caribbean steel band. The band is really superb - they can play calypso, rock, or classical music. Not to be missed, if you are in the area.

The hill is named after General Sir Thomas Shirley, who built the nearby fort in the late eighteenth century to protect the Leeward Islands from attack.

The heights have a smashing outlook, as can be seen below.

And here's a snap of the band.

MM III

This one's for Hotboy

I say!

I saw this, and thought of Hotboy, who works in a library.



MM III

RastaPasta

Well I say!

Had a spot of bother with the Packard Bell recently, hence the lack of posting. Had to send for Ambat from Lilongwe, who spent hours trying to fix it, and eventually he did just that, though he had to reformat the darn thing and I lost some data. Fortunately not my snaps of Antigua, some of which are shown below.

I like the first one, because on the left is a local restaurant in St John's called 'RastaPasta' - great name! And centre it looks as though a cruise ship is parked in the street.

The following snap shows Henry Morton and Menzies IV standing on the steps of a slightly ruined windmill at Hawskbill. Windmills were once very important for the sugar industry in Antigua. Nowadays, none are still in use.

Below is a snap of some of the delighful bungalows at Hawksbill.

The final snap shows Mrs M, Henry Morton and Menzies IV at the airport, waiting for some arrivals from the UK. I did not see it at the time, but to the left, and out of shot, is a large sign saying 'no photographs'. Oops!

MM III

Pitch Inspections

I say,

Many thanks to RobMcJ, Lee Ann, Keda and HotBoy for your wonderful comments on my last post. Comments, from anyone of course, are always welcome hereabouts.

What a fortunate person I am, to have spent some time in the wonderful country of Antigua, to have been a guest at the wedding in Hawksbill (see previous posts), to have spent time on the lovely Antiguan beaches, and most importantly, to have been able to do some pitch inspections whilst on the island.

In this and the following posts, I will enlarge on that final point.

Below is myself, Mrs M, and Henry Morton at 'The Rec' - The Recreation Ground in St John's. I am discussing with the head groundsman the condition of the wicket. "It looks like a batter's paradise." I suggested to him. "Ya man." was the response. "Not like the bunsen burner over in Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad." I continued. "Ya man." Frederick replied.

Below, I size up the wicket from the batsman's perspective, whilst Frederick explains how he once took a catch in the slips off Andy Roberts, a while back. The sightscreens were not overly large. And to think that our chaps used to have to face Courtley Ambrose on this pitch.

Below is the view from outside the executive suite, where we spent some time viewing the memorabilia.

And finally a view from the terraces.

What a wonderful time we had at The Rec, and many thanks go to Frederick.

MM III

London and Antigua

I say!

A lot of people have asked me (well, Doviko, our cook, asked me, and so did Cabbage, the gardener, and also Harry, in the 'Hostile' Bar) what I noticed in London, whilst stopping over there on the way to Antigua.

I noticed the following:

Most Londoners carry a small water bottle with them, wherever they go, despite the fact that the temperature is not high and London is not in a desert.

Most Londoners listen to iPods whilst in transit from one place to another - on the Tube, on buses, and whilst walking in the street.

There is much more prevalence of obesity in London than I remember from my last trip.

Many Londoners seem to have learnt to speak Polish, and practice this constantly.

Here are some snaps which show how wonderfully attractive a place Antigua is.

Above - the view from our villa.

Darkwood Beach

I seem to remember that this is the Urlings village.

More villas at Jolly Harbour.

MM III